


So Desperate

by SkyFireForever



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Ghosts, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Drug Addiction, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Talking To Dead People
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-07 02:17:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18228572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyFireForever/pseuds/SkyFireForever
Summary: “In our neutral meeting place, the Episcopalian churchyardI had things I'd been meaning to sayBut in the dazzling winter sun that late, I could feel them melt away.”-So Desperate by The Mountain GoatsWhen Klaus and Five attempt to go back in time to save Dave, everything falls apart and everyone starts coming back.





	1. Chapter 1

Klaus knocked on Five’s door, swallowing repeatedly. His mouth felt so dry. He’d been sober for weeks, why was his mouth still so dry? He should’ve known that getting clean wouldn’t be easy. Nothing was ever easy for him. He took a breath and knocked again when there was no answer. “Hey. Hey, Five?” He called through the door. “Little brother?” He tried to joke, even though his heart wasn’t in it. “Five, I…” He trailed off. “I need your help.” 

The door opened and Five stood just beyond the threshold. “What is it?” His tone was tense, irritated. Everyone was always so angry whenever they saw Klaus. He hadn’t done anything wrong in a long time. He supposed that he must deserve everyone’s anger, their irritation. He just didn’t know why. 

“I need your help.” He repeated, hands sliding into the tiny pockets of his black skinny jeans. They really should give women bigger pockets. Maybe their pockets were smaller because they got the nicer clothes. That might be a fair trade off. He was getting distracted again. Focus, Klaus. Focus. 

“You said that already.” Five crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway. “I meant to ask you what you needed my help  _ with.  _ I thought that was implied, but of course you didn’t catch that.” He rolled his eyes, a disgusted look on his face. “I live with idiots.” 

Klaus winced, heart hammering in his chest. Five was going to say no; of course he was. Five hated Klaus, Five hated everyone. He should just turn around and leave now, cut his losses. He opened his mouth to tell him that no, nevermind, he hadn’t needed anything anyway, but he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Ben. No one else could see him, but he was always there for Klaus. He could  _ feel  _  him now. He was his anchor, his rock that kept him sober, kept him steady. Klaus didn’t know what he would do without him. 

“You can do your whole..time jumpy thing, right?” Klaus’ words came out in a rush, barely carried on a breath. He was jumpy, fidgety. He always was when he was nervous, when he was itching for a hit. “You make your portals and you can go back in time.” 

Five’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Yes. I can do my..what did you call it? “Time Jumpy thing”.” He put quotes around the phrase he had borrowed from Klaus. “But it isn’t that simple. It takes equations and planning and it’s very easy for it to go wrong.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sure.” Klaus hummed, rubbing the back of his neck. He was trying to pay attention, but his head was full of static. He couldn’t help that he was thinking ahead of whatever his brother had to say. “Yeah, I need to go back in time.” 

“What?” Five stared at him. “Did you listen to a word I just said? It’s not that easy.” 

“I know!” Klaus insisted, voice barely more than a whine. “I know that. Of course I know that. It’s just...remember when I jumped back? Well, I left something there, something important. I need to get it back.” 

Five rolled his eyes. “Drugs aren’t important, Klaus.” He began to close his door, but Klaus’ hand shot out to stop it. 

“It wasn’t drugs!” He clarified, eyes wide an desperate. “I’ve been sober for weeks, I don’t do that shit anymore.” Why did no one believe him? “No, it’s more important than that.” He felt the tears in his eyes before he knew that they were coming. “ _ Please.”  _ He begged. 

Five seemed surprised, looking Klaus up and down. “This is obviously important to you.” He noted, studying his brother. “I’ve never seen you this upset about anything.” When Klaus nodded and clutched the dog tags around his neck, Five’s expression changed to one of understanding. “Oh.” He smirked. “You didn’t leave anything at all, did you? You left  _ someone.”  _

Klaus swallowed before slowly nodding. “He was everything to me.” He breathed out. “I need him. I-” His voice broke and his eyes closed. “I  _ need  _ him.” He exhaled shakily. When he opened his eyes, Five was watching him intensely. 

“Alright.” He said eventually. “I’ll do it.” 

Klaus’ eyes widened in surprise and he took a step back. “You will?”

“Yeah, I’ve been wanting some new practice.” He cracked his knuckles. “You said 1960s, right? Vietnam?” He smirked, cracking his head from side to side. “I can do that.” He sounded determined. “I know I can.” He offered his hand to Klaus. “Let’s do this.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted the first chapter like not even an hour ago, but have more

Klaus closed his eyes, feeling as if every part of him was being stretched thin. It was an uncomfortable, unpleasant feeling and Klaus didn’t like it at all. When the world finally stopped spinning, Klaus heard explosions. His eyes snapped wide and he threw himself to the ground, as flat as he could. All the rules of war came flooding back to him. He reached to his side, expecting to find a gun there. When he found nothing, his eyes widened. You lost your gun, you were a dead man. He army crawled forward, keeping his stomach pressed against the sand. He could hear the helicopters, could taste the dirt in his mouth, could feel his heart hammering away in his chest. It wasn’t a flashback this time. He was back. He wasn’t prepared for how it all came crashing down on him. 

His eyes were wide as he scanned the area, seeing blood and piss and death everywhere. Suddenly, he felt calm. He had done this before. He had survived. He could do his again. He glanced around, spying Five standing and looking confused. He grabbed his arm and pulled him to the dirt. “Get down!” He hissed. “Do you want to get shot?” His voice was barely audible over the gunfire. “You stay low and you don’t get killed.” 

Five’s eyes were wide and alarmed as he shook Klaus off. “Get off of me!” He snapped, shoving his brother away. He kept to the ground and sighed. “Look, we’re just finding your boyfriend and the we’re leaving. I want to see what happens.” 

Klaus nodded, hands still shaking slightly. He searched the surrounding area for any sign of Dave. He recognized other soldiers, men he knew. He could distantly register some of their voices. He saw the body of a friend he hadn’t even known died. His heart clenched in his chest. He needed to find Dave. 

“Medic! I need a medic!” Klaus froze as he heard the sound of his own voice. He remembered screaming those words at the top of his lungs. He remembered how no help arrived. He moved closer, catching sight of his ow dark curls. He saw Dave’s body in his arms. Klaus remembered how at that moment, he didn’t care if he was shot or not. He remembered how he just wanted to be with Dave. Klaus watched the tears stream down his own cheeks. He watched as his own hand eventually went to shut Dave’s eyes. He remembered exactly how he had felt as he realized that Dave was truly gone. 

“Oh, shit.” Five appeared by his side, watching the other Klaus and Dave. “I didn't expect for there to be two of you.” He watched the other Klaus curiously. “You can’t talk to him. I don’t know what will happen.” 

Klaus wasn’t listening. He was watching the other Klaus remove Dave’s dog tags, replace them with his own. He was listening to the other Klaus sob in grief and mourning. Klaus found tears streaming down his own cheeks as he watched the two of them. He couldn’t just sit there and watch. “Dave.” He choked out, moving forward. Maybe he could stop this, maybe he could find a way to save him. 

“Klaus, what are you doing?” Five hissed, grabbing his arm and yanking him back. “It’s too late. He’s already dead.” He glared at him coldly, no emotion under his eyes. “And you can’t let yourself see you. It could ruin all timelines for all I know.” He admitted. “Just stay put and I’ll get us back.” He started glowing blue, but Klaus shook his head. He needed Dave, to hold him one last time. 

He pulled away from Five and moved towards Dave and himself, causing the other version of him to turn around and look at him. As soon as their eyes met, the other Klaus’ eyes went wide and everything turned blue. 

“No!” Five was shouting behind him, lunging at him. His arms wrapped around Klaus’ neck and the uncomfortable feeling was back. Klaus was being stretched again as Five teleported them, landing with a crash in the Hargreeves Manor main room. 

“What were you thinking?” Five stood, shouting at him. “You may have just ruined everything.” He snarled, delivering a kick to Klaus’ back. “You  _ idiot!  _ I knew that was a terrible idea! I knew it! You’re such an idiot!” 

Klaus was sobbing and shaking, clutching his knees. Dave had been so close. He could have reached out and touched him. Klaus didn’t care about Five’s screaming and insults. He didn’t care about any of it. All he cared about was Dave. His Dave. His wonderful, beautiful Dave. He choked on his own tears, unable to breathe correctly due to them. He sobbed and whimpered and wallowed in his own misery. He was pathetic, he knew that much. Everyone knew that about him. 

“That is enough, Number Five.” Klaus completely froze, eyes snapping open as he recognized that voice. His blood chilled and he sat up, having to look at the man to believe his own eyes. When he saw him standing there, he scooted backwards, shaking his head repeatedly. “Get off of the floor, Number Four.” He ordered and Klaus scrambled to comply. 

He stared, gaping at the man, unable to truly believe what he was seeing. 

“ _ Dad?”  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you would be so kind! They ensure that I keep coming back to my stories!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so short, but I couldn't think of how to extend it without the flow being all messed up.

This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be. Klaus squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will the apparition away. He had spent most of his life hiding from his father and the things he had done to him. He wished he wasn’t sober. He wished he could have something, anything, to get his father out of his head. When his eyes opened again, the man was still there. He swallowed and shook his head. 

“No.” He breathed. “Get out. Get out. I don’t want you.” He turned his back to him. “I don’t want you and you sure as hell don’t want to be around me.” He fidgeted with the dog tags around his neck, watching them as he looped them around each other. Anything was better than staring into the face of the dead man behind him. 

“You will not order me around, Number Four!” Reginald Hargreeves snapped at his son. “You will turn around and face me. You get nowhere by ignoring your fears.” 

Klaus laughed, a strained, forced laugh that held no humor in it. “I’ll get nowhere by facing you either.” He mumbled, just watching Dave’s dog tags. He’d wanted to see Dave and instead, all he got was his sorry excuse for a father. This was the second time that had happened. Nothing could ever go right for Klaus, no matter what he did. 

Five stepped forward. “What are you  _ doing  _ here?” He challenged, sending Klaus into a moment of confusion. Five had been the one to bring him here, why was he questioning- unless. No. Klaus turned around, seeing Five’s gaze trained on their father. 

“You can see him too?” His eyes widened in disbelief. That meant that Reginald wasn’t just a ghost. That meant that he was really  _ back.  _ That wasn’t good. That wasn’t at all good. 

“Of course I can see him, you idiot.” Five snapped, frustration and anger radiating off of him in waves. “Seeing yourself in the past must have messed with the timeline.” He shook his head. “I have to fix this.” 

Reginald observed his children carefully, studying both of them. “That is enough, Number Five.” He warned. “So, you made a mistake in time. That explains how I am standing here. What other consequences have your mistakes caused?” 

Five laughed cruelly. “You really haven’t changed, have you?” He balled his hands into fists at his sides. “You don’t get to order me around anymore. I don’t have to tell you anything.” 

Reginald’s eyes narrowed. “The fate of time itself hangs in the balance and you can only worry about your own pride?” He made a disgusted noise deep in his throat. “You have not changed either, Number Five. I would have hoped that seeing the end of the world would have humbled you, it was clear that I was mistaken.”

“Listen here, you-” Five marched forward, but Klaus grabbed his arm and shook his head. He didn’t want his brother making things worse. 

Klaus swallowed, licking his dry lips nervously. “What my brother here is meaning to say is...we don’t know exactly what happened.” He tried to cover for Five, attempting to keep himself from shaking. Seeing his father when they were both dead was far easier than when they were both alive. Klaus had no need to fear him as strongly when there was nothing he could do to him. There were so many things an alive Reginald Hargreeves could do to him. The thought of it made Klaus’ blood run cold. 

“Klaus?” The man in question spun around to see Ben, who was staring at his hands. He looked up at him with wide eyes. Ben touched his own chest and face. “I can...what’s going on?” He sounded almost afraid, frightened. 

Five stared at his brother. “Ben?” He glanced at Klaus. “Shit, is everyone coming back from the dead now?”

Klaus inhaled sharply. “Apparently so.” He mumbled under his breath. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments, please! The comments I've gotten so far have made me so, so happy!!


	4. Chapter 4

Klaus was still in shock, eyes moving between his previously dead father and his previously dead brother. He swallowed, unable to stop fidgeting and moving. He could never be still, but his rising anxiety made that particular symptom even worse. He moved closer to Ben. He was used to Ben, Ben was safe. 

He reached forward to take Ben’s hands. “I’m not doing it this time.” He mumbled to himself, eyes wide. “You’re really here.” He breathed, looking into his brother’s eyes. He was surprised to find fear there. “Ben?” He scanned his face. “Are you alright?” 

Ben shook his head. “I shouldn’t be here.” He insisted. “I can feel my  _ heart.”  _ He put a hand over his chest. He had been dead for so long that he wasn’t sure how to be alive. He grabbed onto Klaus’ arms. “I shouldn’t  _ be  _ here.” 

Klaus swallowed past his dry throat. “I know.” He said shakily. “I know.” He nodded. “I know, but you’re here now. Aren’t you happy?” Ben constantly pointed out how lucky Klaus was for being alive. Klaus would have thought that his brother would have been happy.

Ben shook his head. “I died  _ so long ago.”  _ He insisted. “I shouldn’t be back. Not now.” 

“What’s going on?” Diego’s voice carried from the top of the stairs. He jogged down, concern written across his face. He froze in his tracks upon seeing Ben and Reginald, staring dumbly at the both of them. “What the hell?” He mumbled, seemingly to himself. He approached Klaus and Five, glancing between them accusingly. “What the hell is this?"   


Klaus put his hands up, eyes wide and head shaking. “Don’t look at me!” He said hurriedly, knowing that mistakes were usually blamed on him. 

“Why shouldn’t he look at you?” Five spat. “This is your fault.” 

“It…” Klaus deflated. It was his fault. “It was an accident!” He insisted, voice pleading. He turned to Diego. “It was an accident.” 

“Slow down, slow down.” Diego shook his head, twirling a knife between his fingers. “Someone explain exactly what happened.” 

Several voices erupted at once, Klaus attempting to maintain his innocence, Five blaming the entire event on his brother, and Ben trying to meet somewhere in the middle. Diego sighed and shook his head, clearly wondering why he thought that would be so simple. 

“Shut up!” He announced, causing all of the voices in the room to fall silent. “Five. Let’s start with you.” He pointed his knife at his brother. “What happened?” He sat on the chair of the couch. 

Five rolled his eyes. “What I was  _ trying  _ to tell you is that Klaus met a past version of himself and it screwed with the entire timeline. He’s making the dead reappear.” 

“I can’t do that!” Klaus protested. “I can  _ see  _ the dead, not bring them back!” He felt the judgmental gaze of his family members all on him. “Just because I saw myself...that would mean that all of the dead all over the world are coming back.” 

“Not necessarily.” Five intervened. “Because you can talk to the dead, it might just be people you’ve tried to summon.” He put his hands in his pockets. “People you’ve communicated with.” 

Klaus rolled his eyes. “There would be a lot more dead people here if that were the case.” He snapped, remembering the hundreds of voices that would fill his head, their ghoulish faces haunting him. “Even if we’re just going by people I  _ purposefully  _ tried to conjure, this wouldn’t be it.” He wove his hand around the room dismissively. “Why only Dad and Ben?” 

“Excuse me?” A woman’s voice filtered into the room. Klaus looked over to see a woman with light brown skin and brown hair walking towards them. He didn’t recognize her, but Diego seemed to. He almost fell off of the couch, his eyes wide. 

“Eudora?” He whispered, approaching her. It was as if he was looking at a ghost. “Eudora, how…” He stared in disbelief. He moved to touch her, but seemed to think better of it and pulled away. 

The woman -Eudora, Klaus supposed- forced a strained smile to Diego before turning to Klaus. “If you’re talking about people coming back from the dead, I think there are more than you realize.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments, please! The comments I have gotten are the reason I'm updating so much!


	5. Chapter 5

Klaus’ eyes widened. “Who else is..uh..here?” He asked, almost too afraid to ask. He knew many people who he’d spoken with over the years. He didn’t want to see them ever again. He swallowed dryly, feeling like his whole world was spinning. He didn’t even hear Eudora’s reply before he began tumbling to the ground. 

“Klaus!” It was Ben helping him up, a steady hand on his shoulder. “Klaus, are you alright?” His voice was laced with concern as he helped his brother sit up.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” He was sweating, his head felt like it was going to blow open. He probably wasn’t fine, but since when did any of his siblings care? 

Ben frowned. “You definitely are not fine.” He argued stubbornly. “Come on, get up.” He helped Klaus to his feet and over to the couch. Diego was in a corner, whispering with Eudora about something, probably her death. Five was arguing with his father quite loudly, but Klaus couldn’t be bothered to try and make out the words. He sighed and buried his face in his hands. He felt exhausted, strained, stressed. He wanted to go to sleep and never wake up. 

“Klaus?” A familiar voice had Klaus’ heart stopping in his chest. He looked up, unable to believe his ears. He was here. Oh  _ God,  _ he was here. 

“Who the hell is this guy?” Diego held his knife up threateningly. Klaus quickly stood, stumbling past Ben, Five, and his father. 

“Dave?” He choked out, reaching forward to cup the man’s face between his hands. “Oh my God.” He felt tears well up in his eyes. “Oh God.  _ Dave.”  _

He was here. He was really here. Klaus wrapped his arms around him and began sobbing into his chest. He felt the soft fabric of his shirt against his skin. He was so warm, so real. Dave’s skin was always so warm, it was in direct contrast to how cold Klaus always felt. He remembered how he had noted how perfect they felt when they were together. He couldn’t stop crying. 

“Klaus.” Dave put a hand on his shoulder, his entire body tensing up. “Klaus, what are you-”

Klaus reached up to cup his face, tears streaming down his own cheeks. “You’re real. You’re alive.” He choked out. 

“Yeah. Yeah, about that,” Dave stepped back. “ _ How?”  _ He questioned. “I was shot. I remember. I remember it, Klaus.” He glanced between the other people in the room. “Who are all these people?” 

Klaus shook his head, unable to get any more words out. He swallowed and took Dave’s hand, leading him away from the main room. He started towards his own room, needing to be alone with Dave, even if just for a moment. 

“Get back here, Number Four!” He ignored the booming voice calling out for him. He didn’t care about his father, he didn’t care about anyone but Dave. He made his way to his bedroom, shoving Dave inside before slamming the door shut and locking it. 

He took a breath and took a few strides to reach Dave. He cupped his face and kissed him desperately, pressing his body against his. He moaned into his mouth, pushing him towards the bed. He just wanted to feel Dave, in any way possible. He pressed himself close, tasting and feeling and getting lost in everything that was  _ Dave.  _

Dave kissed back at first before pulling away for air, breathing heavily. Klaus just rested his head against the other man’s chest, listening to his heartbeat. He was alive. He was really alive. 

“Klaus, what’s going on?” Dave asked, looking down at him. He ran a hand through Klaus’ dark curls. “How am I here? What happened?” 

Klaus took a deep breath, wiping his eyes. “It’s a long story.” He admitted, sitting down on the bed. “A long, long story. There’s so much about me that you don’t know.” He breathed, refusing to look at Dave. He hesitated a moment before launching into the full story of the Umbrella Academy and beyond. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please leave comments! They let me know if I should continue this story.


	6. Chapter 6

“So, you and your sibling are from the future and you have super powers?” Dave stared blankly at Klaus, just staring at him in disbelief. 

“I know that it is...difficult to believe.” Klaus mumbled. “But it’s true.” 

“Difficult to believe, no.” Dave shook his head. “It’s  _ impossible  _ to believe.” 

Klaus’ heart sunk. “Don’t you trust me?” He tried weakly. He took Dave’s hand into his own. “What reason would I have to lie to you?” 

“That’s exactly it, Klaus.” He took a breath. “You’re asking me to believe that everything was a lie.” 

“No.” Klaus shook his head quickly. “I never lied to you. Never. I just didn’t tell you everything.” He insisted, fidgeting with the dog tags around his neck. “I couldn’t lie to you, so I just told you nothing. I knew that you wouldn’t believe me.”

Dave exhaled, running his fingers through his blond hair. “You’re asking me to believe a lot.” 

“I know.” He admitted. “But it’s true. I promise.” He assured him, taking his hands into his own. “I can’t lie to you about this.” 

Dave studied Klaus’ face. “Your legal name is  _ Number Four?”  _ He sounded angry. “What sort of sick bastard names their kid after a number?” 

Klaus laughed, able to find the humor in that being what Dave focused on. It wasn’t that Klaus could speak to the dead, it wasn’t that he was currently in the future, it was that Klaus was named after a number. “It’s a family thing.” He explained. “I was the fourth kid my father bought, so I was Number Four.” 

“Bought. He  _ bought  _ you.” Dave stood up. “Where is he?” He demanded. “I’ll show him a piece of my mind.” 

Klaus quickly leapt to his feet. “Bad idea.” He warned. “Besides, I don’t want to go back out there.” He admitted. “I just want to stay in here, with you.” He took his arm. “We can be together.” 

Dave sighed, glancing back at Klaus. “I can’t deny you anything, can I?” He sounded defeated, turning around so he could cup Klaus’ cheek and kiss him gently. “We can’t hide forever, though.” 

“Why not?” Klaus whispered against his lips. “Who's gonna stop us?” 

Dave chuckled. “You make a good point.” He kissed him again. Klaus still couldn’t believe that he was real. He was so happy. He couldn’t remember being as happy at any point in his life as he was with Dave at his side. Dave brought out the best in him. 

“Mm. I know.” Klaus grinned, wrapping his arms around Dave’s neck. “I’m full of great ideas.” He smirked devilishly, hands traveling down Dave’s body. 

There was a loud banging on the door. “Open up!” Diego demanded, waiting outside of the door. 

Klaus sighed, resting his forehead against Dave’s shoulder. “Do I have to?” He whined. 

“Yes.” Both Dave and Diego said at the same time. Dave rose an eyebrow, gesturing towards the door. 

Klaus sighed as he unlocked the door, cracking it open. When he saw only Diego and Ben on the other side, he opened it wider. “What do you want?” He asked, crossing his arms. 

“I want to know who the hell that is!” Diego brandished his knife at Dave, making the other man jump back. “What is he doing here?”

Klaus’ eyes narrowed. “His name is Dave.” 

“That doesn’t answer anything.” Diego snarled angrily. “Who  _ is  _ he?”

“I lost him.” Klaus said. “I lost him and now he’s back.”

Realization seemed to dawn on Diego. “I thought you said...oh.” He flushed. “It’s a dude.”

Klaus rolled his eyes. “Problem?” He challenged. 

“No!” Diego put his hands up. “We all knew you were into...for some reason I just thought…”

“Diego, aren’t you bi?” Eudora approached the group with a risen eyebrow. 

Diego’s blush only darkened. “I said I might be!” He turned his knife on her. “That’s not something you  _ talk  _ about!” 

She rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying that you have no room to talk.” She pointed out.

“I never said it was a bad thing!”

Klaus sighed. “Is there anything else?”

Diego hesitated. “Well, we still need to figure out how to get things back to normal.” 

“No.” 

“What do you mean no?”

“I’m not losing him. Not again.” Klaus held Dave’s hand protectively. “I’m not.”

Diego frowned. “Klaus,  _ Dad  _ is back. We don’t want him back, remember?” 

“I don’t care.” Klaus shook his head. “I don’t care. I’m not helping you.” He shut the door in Diego’s face and took a breath. He couldn’t lose Dave, not when he just got him back.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Dave was silent for a long moment. “Do I have to die?” He looked at Klaus, who was sitting on the bed with his arms crossed. 

“No.” He said immediately. “You’re not dying.” He insisted, reaching his arms out for him. “I won’t let you. Not again.” 

Dave sighed and made his way to the bed, pulling Klaus into his arms. “I don’t want to.” He admitted. “I don’t want to die or be dead, I don’t.” He took a breath. “But if that’s what needs to-”

“I said no.” Klaus said firmly. “You’re not dying, Dave.” He looked up at him. “You’re not.” He reached up and cupped his face. “You’re staying with me, okay?”

Dave sighed, but smiled. “I can’t deny you anything.” He mumbled, kissing his boyfriend’s wild curls. “I’ll stay with you for as long as I can.” He promised him. 

Klaus nodded. “Good.” He breathed. “Good.” He had a realization. “I could get high and still see you.” He mumbled. “Ben isn’t even here to stop me.” 

“What?” Dave frowned. “What do you mean?” 

“Nothing!” Klaus said hurriedly. “Nothing.”

“No, you said something.” Dave tilted Klaus’ face up. “Talk to me.” 

“I told you that I used to be a junkie. I told you that in the war.” He mumbled, feeling ashamed. “After you...After I lost you, I..I came back and I..” 

“Oh, Klaus.” Dave’s voice sounded so sad. Klaus felt ashamed and guilty for making him feel sad. The blond pulled Klaus closer against him. “It’s okay. You don’t need that, okay? I’m here.” He rubbed his back. “You’re clean, aren’t you?”

Klaus quickly nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been clean for…” He counted in his head. “A little over a month now.” He blinked, surprised that he had actually made it that long. He hadn’t been sober for that long since he was in the war with Dave. 

“Good.” Dave nodded. “I’m proud of you. I am.” He told him. “A month is good. It’s really good.” 

Klaus was startled. No one was ever proud of him for being clean. It was the least he could do. Dave was  _ proud  _ of the work he had done to get clean. Klaus felt like he might start crying all over again. “Thank you.” He whispered. “Thank you.” 

“Of course, baby.” Dave assured him with a smile. “Hey, can I ask you a few questions?” He requested, looking down at Klaus. “About the future?” 

Klaus wiped his eyes and laid so his head was in Dave’s lap. “Go ahead.” 

“Did we win?” Klaus’ heart sank at the question and he looked away. That was all the answer Dave needed. “Oh.” He exhaled shakily. “Oh.” He hesitated. “I died for nothing.” 

Klaus’ eyes watered and he nodded. “You did.” He choked out. “You died for...nothing at all.” 

“You knew.” Dave looked down at him. “You knew that we didn’t win, but you fought anyway.” His eyes were filled with confusion. “Why?” 

“For you.” Klaus sat up. “I followed you to the front lines and I fought for  _ you. _ ” He looked into his eyes. “I did it all for you.” 

Dave stared at him. “You could have died, Klaus.” 

“I know.” He breathed. “God, I knew that. You were worth dying for.” 

Dave shook his head and pulled Klaus into a searing kiss, cupping the back of his head. “God, I love you.” He breathed, murmuring against his lips. 

“I love you too.” Klaus smiled before standing up. “Come on, let me introduce you to my family.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

Klaus tugged Dave out of the room and started down the hallway. He made his way back to the main room where his family had all gathered. They all looked up at him, surprised that he had come out of his room. Klaus refused to release Dave’s hand, hanging on to him for dear life. He was anxious about introducing the love of his life to his family, but who wouldn’t be. This was probably the most normal part of their relationship. 

“Family, this is Dave.” He gestured between them. “Dave, this is family.” He introduced, suddenly regretting his decision to bring his boyfriend out here. 

Luther frowned, studying Dave closely. “Who the hell is Dave?” He asked, looking around. 

“Dave is my…” Klaus swallowed dryly. “He’s my partner.” He finished lamely. “He’s important to me.” He looked to Dave, who was standing by his side. With Dave gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, Klaus regained some of his confidence. “Dave, this is Luther. He’s Number One.” He explained. 

“He has...powers too?” Dave asked, swallowing thickly. “I bet I can guess what his are.” He tried to joke, intimidated by Luther’s sheer size. He took a step back, as if fearing that he had upset the large man. 

“Super strength, yeah.” Klaus nodded in assurance. “He can’t hurt anyone, though. He’s just a huge softy.”

“He pretended to hug me so he could squeeze me until I blacked out and then locked me in a cage.” Vanya sipped her coffee. 

Klaus hesitated. “Okay. Okay, that’s true.” He agreed. “Things are different now! That’s in the past!” He turned to Dave, who appeared to be absolutely terrified. “You really don’t have to worry about anyone here hurting you.” The words had barely escaped his lips before a knife flew past Dave’s ear. Klaus spun around. “Diego!” He whined, exasperated. Couldn’t his siblings tell that he was trying to  _ calm  _ Dave? 

Diego stalked forward, eyeing Dave up and down. “You’re my brother’s boyfriend?” He asked. When Dave hesitated, Diego brandished a knife in his direction. “Look, Klaus can be an idiot, but he’s my brother, alright? So if you think about hurting him,” He embedded his fresh knife in the wall behind Dave’s head. “Don’t.” He warned, holding a finger in his face. “Got it?” When Dave hurriedly nodded, Diego smirked and clapped him on the back. “Good.” 

Dave stared at Klaus with wide eyes, looking about to shit himself. Klaus sighed and pulled his boyfriend closer. “You don’t have to worry.” He tried again. “Really.” 

Allison stood from where she was sitting on the couch. “If my brothers are going to behave like savages, I am not.” She held out a hand for Dave to shake. “Allison Hargreeves.” She introduced herself. “I promise that I don’t use my power to harm anyone.” She assured him when he was hesitant to accept the hand offered to him.

Dave slowly shook Allison’s hand. “Dave.” He stated simply. “Dave Katz.” 

“It’s a pleasure.” She smiled. “I’m glad that you make Klaus happy.” She said slightly awkwardly before moving to stand beside Luther. 

“That’s Five.” Klaus pointed to the boy, who was scribbling obsessively in a notebook. “I don’t think you need to talk to him.” He decided, moving along. “That’s my dead brother, Ben. Previously dead, I suppose.” He remarked, gesturing to Ben. 

Ben glanced up. “I know you.” He admitted. “I was with Klaus the first time. I know you well.” He seemed unnerved by Dave being able to see him. He wasn’t used to anyone besides Klaus being able to see him, after all. 

Dave looked surprised. “Oh.” He glanced at Klaus. “Uh,” He seemed unsure of how to respond. 

“Time to move on!” Klaus hurried along, not wanting to linger on the thought of Ben watching them for too long. “This is Vanya!” He gestured to his sister. 

“Hey.” Vanya greeted with a lazy smile. “I’m the one who ended the world.” 

“You- what?” Dave stared and Vanya just shrugged. 

“She had good reason.” Klaus insisted. “New powers are...are terrifying.” He remembered discovering that he could make Ben corporeal. He had been so scared that he didn’t know what else he could do. It had been horrifying. 

“I...see.” Dave was taken aback. “And who is she?” He pointed to Eudora, who was standing with Diego. 

“Oh! That’s the woman who saved my life that one time!” Klaus recognized. “Yeah, you saved me from those guys who tortured me.” He nodded. “That was about an hour before I met you.” He told Dave. “I think she’s Diego’s girlfriend.”

“Just his friend.” Eudora corrected with her arms crossed. “I’m glad that you got out okay.” She told him. 

Klaus nodded. “Come on, Mom must be around somewhere.” He glanced around the house, racing up the stairs. 

“You had a mother?” Dave asked, chasing his boyfriend.    


“Yeah. Yeah, her name is Grace.” Klaus confirmed. “She’s a robot.”

“A  _ what _ ?” Dave exclaimed, following. 

“She’s not exactly human.” Klaus shrugged. “But she raised us.” He wanted to introduce Dave to the only parent that really mattered to him. He hoped that Grace would like him. He was certain that she would. Klaus made his way to the nook where Grace lived, but froze in his tracks when he saw what was there. “Oh my God.” He covered his mouth, eyes filling with tears. 

Reginald was powering Grace off, leaving her body standing lifelessly and unseeing. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments keep me coming back to my stories and I promise that I'll try to reply!

**Author's Note:**

> Please, please, please leave comments! They really do make me so happy and keep me coming back to the stories I create.


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